Giants' leadership council features 8 players

John Harbaugh has had a leadership council since his days coaching the Baltimore Ravens. His Giants version of that council seemed to be revealed Monday when he met with eight players after practice.

Harbaugh spoke with Andrew Thomas, Jaxson Dart, Jevon Holland, Jordan Stout, Brian Burns, Jameis Winston, Tremaine Edmunds and Chris Manhertz. The meeting was mostly about schedule logistics and "in-house stuff."

Harbaugh said those players were elected to the council by their teammates. Four offensive players (Dart, Thomas, Winston, Manhertz), three on defense (Burns, Holland and Edmunds) and one on special teams with Stout as a punter.

"There were a lot of other guys that got votes too but those were the guys that got the most votes,” Harbaugh said.

It's something that happened with the Ravens where Harbaugh began with a team that had Hall of Famers Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, who set a tone every day with their voices and ability. With the Giants, the council offered a glimpse of who commands the most respect on the team.

Burns, Thomas and Dart weren't surprises given their stature. Winston and Manhertz are two of the older Giants. Holland was a longtime captain with the Dolphins before the Giants signed him last year.

Edmunds settled in at middle linebacker following the team signing him this offseason. Stout made the All-Pro first team last season on the Ravens.

Harbaugh noted, though, that his council aren't the only leaders he wants to see develop on this team. But those eight carry weight that they'll shoulder throughout the season.

“I do try to emphasize to the team that everybody’s a leader and everybody has every opportunity to speak their mind,” Harbaugh said.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.